


The Marriage Clause

by enthusio



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Arranged Marriage, Cross-Generation Relationship, Extremely Underage, F/M, Implied/Referenced Underage Sex, Teacher-Student Relationship
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-02-23
Updated: 2014-07-03
Packaged: 2018-01-13 12:17:27
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,130
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1225924
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/enthusio/pseuds/enthusio
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sometimes muggleborns and their parents don't agree about whether or not they should attend Hogwarts.  The school has two ways of dealing with that.  This is the less common one.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Originally this was meant to be a response to a prompt on Potter Kink Meme, but I never quite got to the actual sex. Whether or not I do in the future depends on if I can find a relatively sensitive way of writing it.

Severus knew as he rushed up the spiral steps to the Headmaster's office that he wasn't going to enjoy the next few hours.  Only once before had Dumbledore asked to see him immediately and that had been at the height of the war.  He hoped that this time it wouldn't involve tearful teenagers seeking a way to avoid being sent to the Dark Lord by their parents.

It was for this reason that he allowed himself a quiet hiss of frustration when he entered the room and was faced with a small girl sitting in a chair across from Dumbledore's desk.  A child.  Brilliant.  Well, at least she didn't appear to be crying.

"Headmaster?"  Severus did his best to ignore the girl.  "You wished to see me?"

"Ah, yes, Professor Snape."  Severus narrowed his eyes at Dumbledore's tone.  The old man's "jolly grandfather" act never meant anything good.  At least not for him.  "Please, have a seat.  We are just waiting on Professor McGonagall."

Severus nodded once then sat and began to try piecing together what might require both himself and Minerva to drop everything a month before the start of term.  Obviously it had something to do with the girl, but he couldn't imagine why.  He knew by looking at her that she couldn't be more than a muggle-raised half-blood.  Her clothing was entirely muggle and she was glancing about in utter fascination.  No child raised around magic was that entranced by the Headmaster's office.  No, at best the girl had a magical parent who had run off before she had a chance to know them.

He was musing on whether or not she resembled any of the wizards he knew (half-bloods with magical mothers were far more likely to know about magic, as he knew from experience) when McGonagall walked in.

"Albus, really, I was half-way to Hogsmeade when your patronus swooped down on me.  Could you not at least teach it manners if you're going to insist on not using an owl like everyone else?"

Severus raised an eyebrow as Dumbledore chuckled.  One day the batty old crank was going to catch Minvera in one of her worse moods and be reminded of why she was Transfiguration Mistress.  Severus hoped he was there to watch.

"Professor McGonagall, please, have a seat."  Dumbledore motioned to the empty chair between Severus and the girl.  "As you can see, we have a student here rather early.  Miss Granger, this is Professor Snape and Professor McGonagall.  Professors, Miss Hermione Granger.  Miss Granger's parents appear to be immune to Obliviate."

Severus stopped listening to what Dumbledore was saying after that.  If it was true that the girl -- Miss Granger's -- parents were muggles who were immune to Obliviate he had a sinking suspicion he knew what would happen next.

He wanted no part of it.

Quickly, he tried to find a suitable way out.  He couldn't simply refuse; the magic protecting Hogwarts students was old and stern and set in its ways.  If he outright refused to help the girl the castle would consider him a possible threat and begin working against him.  It would be easier to simply throw himself off Gryffindor Tower.  Faster and likely less painful as well.

No, he'd have to find an acceptable replacement.  Someone trustworthy, someone responsible, given Miss Granger's age preferably someone young.  Someone the castle would have to see as a better candidate.  If they were handsome then all the better.  It might make things easier on the girl.

Severus was part-way through the D's with no hopeful prospects when he heard his name.

"-- and as Professor Snape is the youngest man on the staff I thought he was the obvious choice."

"Me?"  Severus tried to sound flattered.  It wouldn't work on Dumbledore or Minerva, but it might make the girl more likely to listen to him.  If she agreed to another choice even the castle would have to oblige her.

"I may be the youngest on the staff, but there are other options.  Why not one of the Weasley boys?  They would understand and I'm sure Mrs Weasley would love another daughter," he glanced at the girl, "Their third son, Percy, is only a few years older than you and he has a sister and brother around your age.  Percy would, of course, require his parents' consent, but Mrs Weasley has never been able to say no to a child who needs help."

Severus watched as the girl began considering his words.  Good.  Percy would not have been his first choice, but he was a polite enough boy and his mother would keep him in line.  Besides, he hadn't had time to come up with anyone better.

Of course, he should have known that Dumbledore would not have called him away from his summer brewing only to give up that easily.  He shook his head and gave Severus a mournful look that everyone except the girl knew was fake.

"Percy, Severus?  You would leave a task as...delicate...as this," he nodded in the girl's direction, "to a fifteen year old boy?"

Severus grit his teeth.  No, he would prefer not to, but a teenage boy was still better than a grown man like himself.  "Charlie, then.  Or Bill.  They're both old enough to understand the _sensitivities_ involved, but Miss Granger would still have the benefits of a family."

This time it was Minerva who dashed his hopes.  It seemed the elder Weasley boys were abroad fighting dragons and mummies or some other Gryffindor idiocy.

For the better part of an hour Severus put forth any reasonably acceptable young man he could think of only to be disappointed.  There weren't many wizards of appropriate age to begin with; most couples had put off having children until after the war.  Severus finally resorted to offering to brew a borderline illegal potion ("Absolutely not.") before turning to make his final appeal to Miss Granger herself.

He felt slightly bad as he did so; the girl had sat surprisingly quietly during the entire ordeal, interrupting only once to ask if she might have a cup of tea.  If one had to be stuck with a child forever he supposed she wouldn't be too dreadful.

Still, he found the very idea abhorrent and that simply would not do.  Had he any chance of surviving outside Dumbledore or Lucius' protection he'd simply refuse.  He hadn't though and that meant he had to convince the girl not to agree.  Better she be tutored privately once she came of age than be subjugated to this medieval atrocity.  He pushed the knowledge that most untrained children either lost their magic or killed themselves before their fifteenth birthday to the back of his mind.

"Miss Granger."  He waited until he had the girls' full attention before continuing.  "You have been mislead."

As expected, Dumbledore and Minerva immediately broke in.  Severus cut them off before they could finish a full word.

"No.  Both of you, if you want me to be a part of this I insist on doing it my way."  He turned back to the girl.  "What, exactly, have you been told?"

The girl hesitated for a moment, looking back and forth between Severus and Dumbledore and worrying her lower lip beneath two rather large front teeth.  Then she took a visible breath and looked Severus in the eye.  He tried not to be too impressed.

"There are only two ways for a minor to attend Hogwarts.  The most common is for parents to give their permission.  However, occasionally a parent will deny consent.  In that case a minor wishing to go against their parents' wishes must be placed in the care of another.  With muggleborn children this is most often done by Obliviating the parents and placing the child with a magical family.

"Very rarely a muggleborn's parents will not respond to Obliviation, thus requiring an alternative method.  The first instance of this happening was in 1605 when Hogwarts created the Marriage Clause to allow Elizabeth Arkwright to attend after her parents nearly had her hanged.

"The Marriage Clause states that if a minor student marries a qualified witch or wizard they are for all intents and purposes no longer the child of their parents, but the ward of their new husband or wife.  As the clause was created by the magic of Hogwarts itself it is the only known alternative to Obliviation for muggleborn students."

Severus stared for a few moments before he managed to get his thoughts back in order.  The girl had just quoted directly from _Hogwarts, A History_.  He'd have to check to be sure, but he thought she'd done it verbatim as well.

The girl ducked her head somewhat sheepishly, "Professor McGonagall left me a book when she visited yesterday."

Severus inclined his head.  "I see.  Miss Granger, has anyone told you what a magical wedding entails?"

She nodded.  "Yes, sir.  Magical weddings blend the magical essences of the people being married.  We wouldn't be able to get divorced and, um," here she lowered her head again, her cheeks taking on a pink tinge, "in order for Hogwarts to know we're married we'd have to...um...have sex.  Here.  In the castle."  She paused, and then looked up again.  "Sir?  Does it have to be in a special room?  I think I'd be too embarrassed to go in a room if I knew everyone who'd been in there had...done _that_...in there."

Severus lifted an eyebrow.  "It does not matter.  Miss Granger, are you aware of what it is called when an adult desires to have sex with a child?"  He waited while the girl thought for a moment before shaking her head.  "It is called paedophilia and it is a very serious illness that no magic can cure."

He watched as the girl sank down in her seat before nodding and saying quietly, "I understand.  I know I'm not pretty like other girls."

Severus pinched his brown and tried to control his frustration.  He could feel Minerva glaring at him, but this was just another reason he couldn't do it.  He was in no way equipped to care for an adolescent girl.  He didn't even enjoy teaching them.

"Miss Granger.  _Miss Granger_ ," he repeated a bit more sharply, "look at me.  This has nothing to do with your appearance.  No," he cut off her forming argument, "it truly does not.  It has to do with how extraordinarily inappropriate it is for a 31 year old man to have sex with an 11 year old little girl -- particularly when that little girl is going to be his student."

"Ten," the girl mumbled.  She glanced up, "I'm not quite eleven yet.  My birthday is in September."

Severus stared at her for a moment before jumping out of his chair and leaning over Dumbledore's desk.  "TEN?!" he shouted.  "Ten?  Albus, you can't be serious.  I doubt she's even physically ready yet!  Send her home for a year; her parents may still change their minds and the extra magical maturity will make her lessons easier."

Dumbledore sighed sadly and shook his head.  "Miss Granger?  Would you please explain?"

The girl nodded.  "My parents are going to send me to live with my mum's cousins in Australia.  I heard them talking last night.  Dad said that if Hogwarts is a British school then all they have to do is get me out of Britain."

Now it was Severus' turn to sigh.  The girl's parents were right.  If she was raised in the magical world then it wouldn't matter, Hogwarts would recognise British magical descent no matter where she lived.  Muggleborns were different though, only a fraction of them descended from old enough lines to count.  Most were very recent additions to the magical world, some even the first in their entire family history to have magic.  There was a nearly 99% chance that if the girl left Britain no one in the magical community would ever see her again.

"Miss Granger," he asked as he sank back down into his seat, "tell me what you know about sex."


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Since this story won't leave my brain it looks like it's going forward. Probably won't be updated too often as it takes me a while to get a draft that I don't hate. I'm trying not to ignore the fact that Hermione really is still a little girl which makes everything a bit more complicated.

Hermione was surrounded by some of the most fascinating books she had ever seen. She wished she could take a few back to the room Headmaster Dumbledore had set her up in, but there was no librarian and she couldn’t find a register of any kind. So she settled herself in at a large desk by a window overlooking the lake and pulled out one of the more promising books.

Professor Snape still hadn’t agreed to marry her. He’d listened to her recite what she remembered from the book her mother had bought her when she’d turned nine (“come to me if you have any questions”), then suggested Professor McGonagall gather a few pictures of the older boys in case there was anyone who caught her fancy. That had prompted a fierce debate over suitability (“ _teenage boys_ , Severus?”) that had continued until the headmaster suggested they allow Hermione to explore while they made a list. Hermione had the distinct impression he was simply humouring Professor Snape.

Either way, she was to marry _someone_ , possibly that very day. Naturally, the first place she sought out was the library.

She was fairly sure she understood the mechanics of sex. Professor Snape hadn’t corrected her, at any rate, and she suspected he wasn’t one to spare someone’s feelings.

Still, she didn’t know anything about the experience of sex. The professor had implied that he would be hurting her in some way if he had sex with her, but the headmaster and Professor McGonagall made it sound like sex between an adult and a younger person (she was _not_ a child) was accepted, if not exactly common. She wasn’t sure what to believe.

She knew about child abuse, of course. She knew that she had private places and that if anyone tried to touch them without her permission she should scream and tell her parents. Professor Snape wouldn’t be touching her without permission though. He’d be her husband and sex was something husbands and wives did together. That would make it ok, right?

Hermione shook her head and opened the book. Surely, one of these had to have an answer. Hoping to save time, she flipped to the back and looked for an index.

Marriage...magical marriage...muggle marriage...muggle vs. magical marriage...there, muggleborn student marriage.

> _Though very rare, on occasion a muggleborn student will be forced to marry an adult wizard or witch in order to attend Hogwarts. Most commonly, these marriages happen during times of war when muggle parents attempt to pull their children out of what they view as a dangerous environment._
> 
> _War-based marriages are generally between 15 or 16 year old students and their 17 or 18 year old classmates. Often the pair are already romantically involved and the marriage simple takes places sooner than expected._
> 
> _However, a very small portion of Hogwarts students starts their educations with spouses. Unlike their older counterparts, these young wizards and witches are usually married to staff members who provide support during the student’s school years._
> 
> _While only one of these pairs has had a less than happy outcome (see: Edmunds, Eric pg. 1132 and Abuse: Magical Reactions pg. 497), care must still be taken to ensure the child’s physical and emotional health. In particular, it is important to ensure the child understands and consents to all sexual activities. While the magic of Hogwarts does much to ensure the child is protected, the Edmunds case shows that it is not a guarantee._
> 
> _There is debate as to whether or not sexual activity should continue after consummation. Proponents of abstinence argue that muggle social taboos against sexual relations between children and adults cause emotional distress that can be avoided by maintaining a platonic relationship. Advocates of continued sexual activities suggest that the memory of being intimate with an adult who then assumes the role of parent causes greater harm._
> 
> _In practice, the situation is too rare for either method to be studied in any amount of depth. Couples have historically been reluctant to share such private details, adding to the difficulty. Adult spouses of children are advised to allow the child to take the lead and follow their best judgement._

Hermione set the book side. That was less than helpful. It didn’t say anything about whether or not having sex with Professor Snape would be abuse. Perhaps one of the other books would have an answer.

An hour later her supply of books was gone and she still had no answer. She glared at the pile for a moment before setting her jaw and picking up _The Young Witch’s Guide to Intercourse_. If she couldn’t find out if it was abuse, she’d at least find out if it hurt.

She flipped to the section on virginity and nearly dropped the book in shock. There, under the words “Making the Most of Your Sexual Debut”, was a two page, full colour, moving image of two nude figures writhing against each other.

Hermione stared for several moments, watching as the woman’s face contorted and her hands clutched at the man’s backside. She looked a little closer and realised she could see the man’s penis sliding in and out as he rolled his hips. Her stomach gave a little fluttery flip, like when David Simms asked her for help with their maths homework (“please, you’re really smart”).

Blushing, Hermione forced herself to look away from the figures and noticed a small line of print along the bottom of the page. “To customise place finger on page number and state name aloud.”

She glanced around quickly to ensure she was still alone, then placed her finger on the page and followed the directions. A slight tingling feeling moved up her arm as the pages began to shift. The left-hand page filled with a table of contents, including such sections as “Foreplay: Losing Your Virginity without Pain” and “Awkward: Arranged Marriages and You”.

The right-hand page made Hermione try to yank her hand away. Instead of two anonymous figures, now there was a moving image of Hermione herself, her eyes fluttering closed and her mouth opening in a gasp as a dark haired figure pressed his face between her legs. As she watched, the figure brought his hand up and slowly slid a finger inside of her, causing her image to buck her hips and clutch at his hair.

Being careful to mark the page, Hermione closed the book. She gathered up her things, making sure the other books were put back in their places, then scurried to her room with the _Young Witch’s Guide_ clutched tight to her chest. No one would miss it before the term started anyway.


End file.
